Working Title
by StillBreathing202
Summary: "Sherlock?" "Yes John?" "Why is there a blue police box in our kitchen?"
1. Chapter 1

John thought nothing of the strange whirring sounds coming from the kitchen. He'd long since learned that if something bled, oozed or produced toxic fumes then he should stay well clear of it. The sounds were strange, but if anything that just meant they were more radioactive than usual.

"Sherlock?" He called, it was always best be on the safe side when it comes to his flatmate, "You alright in there?"

No answer.

"Sherlock? Can you hear me?" Silence. John began to worry slightly as he got up and started walking towards the kitchen, the whirring noises had stopped and this only served to increase his angst at the lack of a reply. When he reached the kitchen though, he halted.

"Sherlock?"

"Yes John?"

"Why is there a blue police box in our kitchen?"


	2. Chapter 2

The door to the blue box was pulled open from the inside and a man and and a girl bounced out, deep into a light-hearted argument. Somewhere in-between _"The last time you said we were going for breakfast we were attacked by mutant rubber ducks Doctor!"_ and _"Well, it was your perfume that attracted them in the first place so really it was-"_ The pair seemed to notice they were standing in a kitchen with two very intrigued onlookers.

"Ah." The man said, looking at their surroundings, "We may have made a slight detour on our way there... Oh, hello!" He said, noticing Sherlock and John for the first time. "We are, um... Health and Safety inspectors. Just, passing through... Making sure everything's... healthy..." He rummaged through the deep pockets of his long brown coat until he found and held up an ID pass with the names Jack Greham and Sarah Smith.

"That paper's blank." Sherlock drawled from where he was standing beside John.

"What? No, it says their names on it Sherlock" John explained, "Look, right in the middle there, it even has a picture."

"Some sort of physic paper, I'm assuming? Mmm, yes, oh that's very clever. It can manipulate the brainwaves John. It makes you see what you expect to see."

The man seemed torn between whether to be shocked or impressed and his friend just seemed confused. "Doctor?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed, "How can he see through that?"

"Where are we?" The man questioned, turning to John now.

John replied hesitantly,"London?" How did these people get inside his home without even knowing how they got here?

"London," The man mused over the word, "And, what year would this be?"

"Is this a joke?" John demanded, "How can you not know where you are or what year it is? How can...?" His question trailed off as the man, this 'Doctor' as the girl had called him, got an even more predatory look on his face.

"Forget us for a minute, what about you?" the Doctor leaned forward, scrutinizing every detail of their faces, "Who are you?"

Sherlock leaned back subconsciously, automatically reclining away from the penetrating gaze, "I'm Sherlock Holmes and this is John Watson" He said, slightly defensively at having to identify himself in their own kitchen.

A wide smile stretched across the Doctor's face, lighting up his eyes and causing his cheeks to dimple. A similar reaction to the names was appearing on the girls face as well. They turned to look at each other, gleefully.

"And you say I never take you anywhere..."

"Oh, Shut up. Remember last time? It was nearly a week before I got that slime out of my hair. And-" Their interaction is halted as John began to speak,

"Could someone please explain what is going on here? What is happening? How did you get into our kitchen? What is that blue box? Why couldn't Sherlock read your I.D card?" John stopped, incredulous of the situation and deliberating between which question to ask next.

"All perfectly valid questions John," Sherlock drawled, "But the most important ones all appear to have been forgotten, for example, look at the door width." John glanced over at the door and stared back at the box in his kitchen.

"That box is too wide."

"Correct, so presuming that in the two point three minutes where I wasn't paying attention to the kitchen that two strangers didn't manage to break down our door, walk up our stairs carrying heavy planks of wood, set up the wood in a box shape - all of this of course being done silently without anyone noticing - I think we can conclude that these two didn't come through the door." Sherlock circled around the pair, examining them, and ended up subtly leaning against the door, blocking the exit out of the kitchen.

"So now would be the appropriate time to tell us who you are, what you want and how exactly you ended up in our kitchen. Mycroft would never have the resources for physic paper, no matter how much power he _implies_ he has." Sherlock continued leaning again the door, his eyebrows raised expectantly at the pair in front of the box.

"We're..." They exchanged a glance, before the Doctor continued, "We're sort of travellers. We travel... to places... and then we leave those places and travel somewhere else..."

"Travellers." Sherlock repeated, mocking him, "Just your ordinary everyday passer-by who ends up in the middle of Baker Street with no idea how they got there."

"Baker Street! That's-" The Doctor stopped in the middle of his sentence, warned from digressing by a glare from John. "Well, we sort of tend to travel a little bit further than your regular humans would. We just-" Sherlock interrupted him again, standing up straight and looking intriguingly at the pair.

"Your inflections for that sentence were off. The typical intonation would be placing an emphasis on 'regular', to indicate to your listener that you were more than typical, but you didn't do that."

"Didn't I?" The Doctor asked, trying his best to look innocent. It didn't work.

"No. You placed the emphasis on 'human', to indicate you're more than that. More than human..." The silence resonated through the room as Sherlock finished saying those words, everyone was frozen in place and the undercurrent of tension became palpable. Sherlock leaned forward and asked, quietly, but with a definite note of demand in his voice, "It's not who are you, is it?" He paused, rephrasing his question. "It's what are you?"

***_I forgot a disclaimer in the first chapter so, **- Disclaimer: nothing is mine, both Sherlock and Doctor Who belong to their respective creators.**_(_and we're all very lucky that I don't write them because they're both amazing just as they are_)


	3. Chapter 3

No one spoke as Sherlock's question hung in the air. No one moved. No one even breathed. Everyone was frozen in place, the kitchen thrumming with tension. The Doctor broke out into a wide grin, "Oh, you are very good aren't you, he turned around and looked at the girl, "listen to him Rose, isn't he good!"

The Doctor's sheer glee and excitement broke the solemn mood. He bounced forward towards Sherlock with his hand outstretched, "My name's the Doctor, and this is Rose." The Doctor swung around and shook John's hand just as enthusiastically, still smiling wildly, "And this," he announced grandly, taking a few steps back and gazing at the blue box with pride written all over his face, "This is that TARDIS, she's my spaceship."

There was a pause.

"And she also travels in time." With each new fact the Doctor announced John could feel himself getting more and more incredulous.

"You have a spaceship." John murmured, the he said louder, "An alien is in my kitchen, with his spaceship. A spaceship, that looks like a police box. And travels in time." He was rubbing his forehead with his fingers now, trying to ease the oncoming headache that normally only appeared when Sherlock had done something particularly heinous to his bed.

"So, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson," The Doctor seemed oblivious to John's inner scepticism as he shook his head a little, with a smile on his face before continuing, "Do you want to come for a ride?"

Sherlock stood up straighter and John paused and removed his hand from his face, "To where?" Sherlock asked, intrigued.

"Sherlock, we can't just-"

"Anywhere." The Doctor interrupted, "Anything and anywhere. Any time, any place. I can take you to every single point in time. I can take you to foreign planets and different universes. Worlds made entirely of gold and diamonds, places where the people change can change shape or colour or size or species. A thousand planets filled with a thousand new and amazing creatures. I can take you to any place that you can imagine and about a million more that you can't."

"Anywhere." John echoed faintly.

The Doctor just looked vaguely amused, enjoying the moment where he was admired and respected before anyone he travelled with inevitably started wandering off despite his best efforts, as had happened countless times before.

"But, for a spaceship," Sherlock drawled from the corner, "Your box looks a little small."

"Trust me, that's the best bit." The Doctor grinned and motioned with his head for Rose to step into the TARDIS before stepping in himself and gesturing with his arm, "Come on," he says, pausing as neither Sherlock nor John made any effort to move even slightly closer to him. "Don't you trust me?"

"The peculiar man, who appeared in our kitchen, claiming to be an alien, dressed in a ridiculous coat? Surprisingly enough, no." The sarcasm was painfully evident in Sherlock's tone, "In fact, if it wasn't for the double pulse coming through your carotid clearly indicating the presence of a second heart, I would have had you arrested before you could open your mouth." Sherlock ended his sentence by stepping forward towards the door of the TARDIS and peering in with observant wide eyes before turning to John, "Aren't you coming, John?

"Alien in my kitchen, and about to travel through time." John shook his head slightly, before looking up with a smile, "Of course, I'm coming."


	4. Chapter 4

Everyone lives their life. Everyone goes through each day, every single person on this planet of 7 billion people. There are all these people travelling on their journeys from A to B. Lives filled with chocolate biscuits and work worries and Sunday afternoons. John had thought that his life had been more exciting than most to start with, the army and all, and then moving in with the general madness that was Sherlock. John had thought he had understood his life, until an alien landed in his kitchen, until he found himself in a spaceship and until he walked into a box that was bigger on the inside.

Sherlock was 'investigating', pressing buttons and levers and muttering under his breath about physics and alternate dimensions. But John just stood for a minute, resisting the urge to leave the box and walk around it, knowing that even if the outside of the box had changed, it was still bigger than his kitchen could ever be.

The Doctor and Rose were watching them both, attempting to stare subtly from a distance to gauge what their reactions were.

"I can't help but notice," John started, albeit hesitantly, "And I hate to point out the obvious, but, it's bigger on the inside..."

"Told you," Rose mumbled to the Doctor to was standing beside her. He shook his head slowly,

"Nope, you haven't won yet, the other one still has to say it." John had noticed their quiet exchange and was left feeling more confused than before.

"Is it dimensionally transcendental? But unless you had some sort of high power stabiliser the place would blow apart..." Sherlock was pacing around now, lifting various levers and peering at strange tools, "And the energy need for that could cause it to explode anyway. If you had multiple power sources that could work but even then the stabiliser would need to be incredibly resilient to cope with the resulting charge from the numerous entry points..." He tapped his fingers impatiently on the console, his brow furrowed in thought.

"Mr Holmes?" Rose tried, before turning to the Doctor and asking, "Does this count as him saying 'it's bigger on the inside"? He is just saying it in longer words."

"If all the sources were coated so that the charge could travel around them but not through... No, the compound fractures sustained over time would ensure that any attempt of repair would leave the mechanic dead from the copious amounts of energy that would be-"

"Mr Holmes?" The Doctor began, "If you could-" The Doctor's attempt at talking to him also failed as Sherlock continued to walk around the TARDIS, muttering discontentedly. The Doctor turned to John, "Is he malfunctioning somehow?" Rose swallowed a laugh and a 'have you tried turning him off and on again' as John began to speak.

"Sherlock!"

"What!" Sherlock snapped impatiently, "Can't you see I'm trying to-"

"It's bigger on the inside." John said. Sherlock stopped his frantic pacing to wheel round and glare at him with disgust for the blatantly obvious fact that he had pointed out.

"Yes. Obviously. I _had_ noticed, which was why I was-"

"Do you know _why_ it's bigger on the inside Sherlock?" Sherlock looked slightly offended at this and began to stammer out that 'he was just getting to that and if he could be left _alone_ to think he could-'

"Well here's an idea," John cocked his head towards the Doctor and Rose before saying, "Why don't you ask the alien who owns the spaceship?"

The Doctor bounded down the stairs to swing his arm around Sherlock, "Aw, you'll love this, trust me. Now, imagine that you could recalibrate the atomic displacement from the..." Their voices faded off into the distance as the Doctor led Sherlock down to the lower workings of the TARDIS, gesturing wildly with his one free hand.

"So, are you really _the_ Doctor Watson then?" The question came from behind John, and when he turned he found Rose looking down at him over the railing, chin cupped in her hand. "Like, from the books?"

John swallowed, "Call me John, but um, books?"

"Maybe you don't have them," Rose shrugged and walked down the stairs to where John was standing, "It gets a bit hard sometimes, what with all the alternate universes and stuff, you have to be careful not to give anything away." She gestured with her head for John to sit down beside her on the old battered sofa that would have looked more at home in a charity shop, not a spaceship.

"So, do you travel then, with this Doctor, I mean" John settled himself down on the chair, trying to avoid old springs and suspicious stains.

"Yeah, I do," Rose stretched out and closes her eyes, "It's amazing. I'm from London too you know," She opened her eyes and smiled at John understandingly, "I always thought it was so big, that I would spend my days just watching the city pass me by, lights and traffic and noise everywhere."

John nodded, it was one of the reasons he loved the city after all, somehow it managed to block out everything else. How could anyone be haunted by anything when there was that amount of noise? He had always loved the feeling of being anonymous, after coming from a tiny village slap bang in the middle of the country, where everything was quiet and everyone knew your business. He loved being able to walk down a street and be completely ignored, no odd stares or 'subtle' whispers following him about Harry's drinking or the latest his family had been up to. "I know what you mean," he began, "Someone told me once that London was like a war."

Rose sat up straight at that and turned towards him, "I _used_ to think that about London, but now it seems peaceful, a reminder of my old life."

"Did the Doctor change your mind?"

"I wasn't the Doctor so much as... I don't know how to explain it really but, everything gets bigger. You spend your whole life with a certain set of expectations you know? You might not have everything planned to the last detail but you know vaguely where it's going to go... And then this man, this impossible impossible man shows up in his little blue box... And he shows you amazing things that you could never dream about..."

"It can really go anywhere. To, other planets..." It seemed unthinkable, that you could actually go anywhere in the world, or beyond the world even.

"I have seen wonderful things, other cultures and species and brilliant things, but..."

Rose trailed off as John prompted, "But..."

Rose turned to face him, "I don't know if you're, I don't know if you're dating anyone, or if you're dating Sherlock or if you have someone close to you. But if you do, I need to warn you... This, travelling thing, it will change you." John noticed the way Rose was studiously avoiding eye contact as she continued, "Completely, and irrevocably change you. Mostly for the better don't get me wrong, but..." Rose nodded earnestly, in an attempt to make him understand, "Where we go, normally danger follows, and I love that I really do. But facing down aliens will transform who you are, and sometimes the people at home, you forget that they haven't changed too."

"Was it... I mean, did that happen to you?" John didn't mean to pry, he really didn't. He hadn't even noticed he had said the words until it was too late. But something in her eyes, they were sad. They spoke of loss that was pushed down and attempting to be forgotten.

"Well, sort of... It's a long story." Neither of them moved, John didn't want to pressure her, not if she didn't want to talk. "A bit complicated too. But no he's, he's gone now." John nearly asked more questions, but Rose brushed off the topic before he could accidently say anything else. "He's got a nice shiny new universe of his own."

"That's, good then?" John replied, with only a hint of a question in his tone, he didn't know how things had ended after all.

"Yeah, yeah, it is..." The conversation slowly trailed off, both of them lost in thought.

**I know it sort of seemed like it ended a bit abruptly, sorry about that.

**Still haven't decided on an exact timeline for this story but you can assume it is set somewhere between "Age of Steel" and before "Doomsday"


	5. Chapter 5

The decision about where they should travel was a painfully convoluted one. Sherlock and the Doctor had debated frantically, with Rose and John throwing in ideas every so often. Sherlock was determined not to see the past, claiming he could already find out everything he wanted to know from books, this was met with great scepticism from Rose, saying that she had travelled enough to know that history was nothing more than what leaders wanted people to see. All the while the Doctor darted from one idea to the next, at a desperate speed that was impossible to keep up with. Sometimes it seemed like he wasn't speaking English but he still gestured with his hands and paused, expecting replies to his babbling.

But eventually, after a long _long_ _time_, they had arrived. John still wasn't quite sure as to where they actually were, but the Doctor insisted that they had to see something.

He stepped up in front of where they were all standing, "The Planet of Redunian," he announced enthusiastically, before swinging open the door of the TARDIS and stepping out, Rose, Sherlock and John hot on his heels.

* * *

The heat was the thing that John noticed first, an unnatural, unearthly warmth that had him tugging at his shirt collar in seconds. It was like stepping out into an oven and he was immediately reminded of his stint in Afghanistan, and how he had battled the ever present burning sun there. This type of heat was different though. In Afghanistan he had baked, patching up wounds with a dry mouth and beads of sweat running from his forehead as he knelt in the sand, but here it was like he was being boiled. The air was humid and musty; it invaded every pore and left a _strange_ tang in the back of his throat when he inhaled it.

They had stepped out into a crowded square, with people scurrying around everywhere. The slowest pace John could see was a fast walk and everyone seemed completely transfixed on where they were headed, ignoring the small group of travellers in their midst.

Sherlock had immediately dived over to one of the market stalls, and was flicking through the strange trinkets with an intrigued eye and inquiring hands. He was being closed watched by the Doctor, who was smiling as Rose sarcastically expressed her amazement that they had managed to land in the right place this time.

"So where exactly are we?" John asked, tentatively.

"Reeyanon?" Rose ventured, "I dunno, I'm too hot to remember anything properly. How do you pronounce it again Doctor?"

"It's Redunian, like red and union." He answered earnestly, still looking around, "Looks like the main region to be honest. A place called Ahar. The whole planet used to be one massive empire ruled by a single race that controlled the galaxy, until they rebelled and became independent."

"But they look like humans," John stated, "I mean, I didn't expect aliens to have three eyes or anything, but I thought there would be something a bit weird."

A faint smile played over the Doctor's lips, "Well, I suppose appearances do change throughout the five regions here. But don't forget, John, you're the Alien now."

"Oh yeah," He paused and his eyebrows furrowed in thought, "I supposed I am."

"Doctor." Rose had been shifting impatiently throughout their conversation, "Doctor. Doctor! _Doctor_!"

Both men turned to face her; she tilted her head backwards, "Sherlock's gone."


	6. Chapter 6

"Oh for fffss" John stopped himself just in time, and crossed his arms anxiously as the Doctor interrogated the woman at the stall. Why did he have to wander off? They had no idea of the general layout of the town, never mind the whole area. He fought off the urge to pace up and down, knowing it wouldn't help and would only serve to make him even more flustered than he already was in this incessant heat.

"We'll find him," Rose reassured him, interrupting his frantic thoughts; "People always wander off. The Doctor will find him."

"He's just," John paused, struggling for the right words, "I don't understand how he can be so stupid and so smart. Sure, he can look at your laces and tell you that your brother is sleeping with the butler but when we land in a strange planet it seems like a good idea to wander off?" He had ended more sarcastic than he had intended, his voice shook slightly as he continued, "Sorry, I don't mean to rant. It's just... I mean..."

"We'll find him." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I swear. We'll find him."

* * *

Sherlock was wandering the crowded city, aimlessly walking around, absorbing information. His coat was becoming a hindrance in this ubiquitous heat, and a salty taste pervaded his mouth with every inhalation. He couldn't bring himself to take it off though, some wretched idea of the sentimental value of attempting to cling to normality whilst being so far away, probably. He was pleased to note that he was still able to deduce on different planets. He had been slightly worried that if the culture was different enough the actions of the people would lack the distinctive markings that gave away the humans. But it was painfully obvious that the girl in that corner wished she hadn't eaten so much earlier, or that the pale boy across the street was too absorbed in his book to notice a small group of people looking at him. The book was blue on the cover, but it wasn't until Sherlock noticed the glowing sketch of an atom that he bounded across the busy street, coat flapping behind him, to reach out and pluck the book out of the boy's hand.

"Hey! What are you- That's mine, give it here!"

Sherlock held the book high, his height giving him an advantage over the boy, who could only have been around eleven, "So it's about science then."

"Science?"The boy gave him a puzzled look, "Yeah, I think some regions used to call it that, maybe. Now it's Veda."

"Veda," Sherlock echoed, "And the drawing on the cover?"

The boy preened slightly, "You probably wouldn't know what it is. I do though. It's called an atom. Crazy people used to think that everything was made out of them thousands of years ago."

Sherlock flicked through the book, it seemed to be about the history of this 'Veda', which was remarkably similar to human science of today. He sat down and began to read, ignoring the protests of the boy, who was becoming shriller by the minute, when he heard his name being shouted and heavy footsteps running towards him.

"Sherlock!" John was standing before him now, the Doctor and Rose behind him, hands on their hips. "What the hell do you think you're playing at?"

"Excuse me?" Sherlock responded, confused slightly, he hadn't even been around to do anything that could have annoyed John. If the man was truly beginning to hallucinate him, he really needed some psychiatric help.

"The disappearing act you decided to pull. In the middle of a crowed city. On a different planet." John responded angrily. Oh. Right. That. He hadn't even thought John might miss his presence, but by the stern glare being levelled at him he was clearly mistaken.

"Oh." Was what he said aloud, whilst mentally he was ticking a row of giveaway boxes. Tapping foot, arms crossed, slight twitch in left eyebrow and the tapping of his index finger against his leg twice every forty seven seconds were all clear indicators of John's anger. "You seem upset."

"Really? Do I?" John's voice had taken on a high-pitched, unattractive sarcastic tone, "Wow Sherlock, no one else figured that one out. Tell me, what was your first clue?"

Somehow Sherlock sensed that he probably shouldn't answer that question with '_the tone and inflection that was present when you first called my name, really John, a child could work that one out_'. Instead he said nothing, having the chance to respond as the Doctor stepped closer to him and peered at the small boy standing beside Sherlock.

"Hello! Who's this then?" he asked cheerfully, with his seemingly omnipresent grin stapled into place.

"Tell me who you are first." He replied, his nose stuck up in the air, "I'm not supposed to talk to strange people."

The Doctor pulled out his physic paper and brandished it in front of the boy, "See? We're perfectly normal."

The boy stared at the paper with wide eyes, before his bravado faltered and he took a few steps back, biting his lip anxiously. "I'm sorry if I offended you Sir, I didn't recognise you from anywhere. Please don't... I mean... I could show you the way back to the castle if you're lost. Not that I'm saying that you get lost. I mean... um... I just didn't expect to see someone like you down here."

"Right, yeah." The Doctor nodded, then paused awkwardly, "Who am I, exactly?"

The boy answered quickly, still standing with his head bowed, his eyes fixed to the floor, "I do know who you are! I didn't mean to insult your nobility. You're one of the Generals from Nula. Here for the announcement. I'm sorry that I didn't recognise your travelling group Sir, I didn't expect someone of your esteem to be down in the lower town."

"What's your name?" Rose asks, kindly.

"Um, Flindor, miss. Son of Yalus."

"Tell me something Flindor," The Doctor had wandered a few feet away and was staring at the large tower in the centre of the town, "This announcement that everyone's here for, what's being announced?"

"The Emperor is officially declaring his change of heir, Sir"

"You can stop with all that 'Sir' stuff, this is Rose, Sherlock and John." Each of them nodded as the Doctor announced their name and tried to give Flindor their most comforting smile, except for Sherlock, who was once again rifling through the book, engrossed in the pages. "I'm the Doctor," he finished, "And trust me Flindor, we're here to help."

Flindor cocked his head to the side slightly, eyebrows furrowed, "Help? But, why? I mean... nothing's wrong, we don't need any help."

The Doctor turned to stare at him, and an unexplainable sorrow was etched into the lines of his face, "Something's wrong here Flindor. Something is very, very wrong. You need our help more than you could possibly know."

****Sorry about the cliffhanger again. I'd advise getting used to those.**


	7. Chapter 7

The Doctor was pacing, frantically walking up and down the small alley.

"Something's wrong here." Sherlock said, firm but undeniably certain, "I don't know what yet, but something." The Doctor's nod was lost to his companions as they stared at Sherlock.

"It's the people that confuse me," Rose chimed in, "The way they're acting, it's just...weird."

"Is it?" the Doctor spun around to face Flindor and asked earnestly, "Is it weird? Odd? Strange? Bizarre? Unusual? Just generally a bit off?" Flindor slunk away from him, seemingly on instinct,

"Um..." He bit his lip, "I don't..." The sky had begun to darken, and in the distance John could see stalls being packed away. Rose sat down beside him, still talking,

"You've noticed, haven't you John?" He shook his head,

"Sorry, I haven't really been looking, to be honest. But maybe if we... Sherlock?" He trailed off as Sherlock stood up and started squinting at the stalls in the distance, "What are you...?"

"Stupid." Sherlock shook his head and then turned to Rose, "You said it was the people, and it _is_ but how did you know?" Rose opened her mouth to speak but Sherlock had already barrelled ahead, "The things, it's the books and jewels and products and-"

"What about them?" Flindor chimed in, "This market's been here for years and years." Despite looking displeased at the interruption, Sherlock continued after only a short glare thrown in Flindor's direction.

"The entire _point_ of having weekly markets is that everything is new. Original items and fresh produce, but almost everything for sale was tattered and broken, everything was old."

"No one's making anything anymore." The Doctor took the lead now, "I said I wanted to come here because they're known for their innovation and unique merchandise, I'd assumed we'd just landed a few years further back than we'd planned but... It's like everyone here has just stopped caring..."

"But how can an entire city just... give up?" John interjected this time, hoping _someone _would have a clear explanation.

"I don't know," the Doctor said firmly, "but I intend to find out."

* * *

Flindor didn't want to do this. He would be perfectly happy at home curled up with his book in front of the hearth, just picturing it he could nearly feel the warmth on his skin. "Psssssst. Pssssssst, Flindor." He turned around to face the Doctor,

"Yes?"

"Are you sure this is the right way?" The Doctor was hidden behind a tree; the three of them pressed so close together made for a comical picture, especially with Sherlock still sweating through the heat in his thick black coat.

"You don't have to hide. We still have many miles to go before we reach the Castle." Flindor bit his lip, looking again at Sherlock, "Perhaps we should sit for a moment, to cool off." They all slid wearily to the ground, exhausted even by the slight walk uphill in this heat. Rose covered her eyes to shield them from the bright flares of sunlight that shone between the leaves in the forest,

"Is it always this _hot_?" Flindor smirked slightly and then tried to hide it with his hand. He had to be careful. These people were odd; they bore papers saying they were Generals of the Highest Order, here by the decree from Nula. But they travelled impossibly light, where were their horses and trunks, their servants or their guards? And if they wanted access to the castle why didn't they just walk in? It was where they were supposed to be after all, not following a nobody through a deserted wood. It was all very suspicious.

"Flindor?" He jumped as the Doctor spoke to him, and tried to erase his uneasy thoughts, "What's wrong?"

"No, nothing is... There's nothing wrong." His words fell painfully flat, and the strange tone brought the attention of the other three from where they had been resting in the shade.

"We're not who we said we are." The Doctor had moved closer towards him, and spoke in a low, reassuring voice, "You know that, don't you?" He looked around, edgy and anxious at these new developments

"None of you bear the mark of Generals, I don't... The things you say, they... I don't understand."

"That's because... We're not from here, we come from a place far away."

"But then... How could you possibly know that something's wrong? Why do you say such horrible things?" His voice was high and sounded thin, he fought to try and keep it under control.

"I just know. I think that we-" Sherlock stood up suddenly and started to advance towards the boy,

"_You_ know too don't you. You said 'how could you possibly _know_' if nothing was wrong you would have said 'possibly _think_'._ Of_ course you've noticed something, you can't not have. You know something we don't... You want to tell us as well. Every time we mentioned it you tapped your finger against your leg. Something is bothering you, so why haven't you told us?" Flindor swallowed, he hadn't noticed his tell. Sherlock continues, gazing at Flindor with such a penetrating stare that it felt as though Sherlock could see every thought he'd ever had, entirely laid bare in front of him.

"Ah! It's your family. You have a mother, father, and two? Two sisters, yes? No, one sister and one cousin who was staying with you..." Flindor flinched and Sherlock spoke in an eager tone, "What happened to her?" He swallowed,

"My cousin is called Fantashlia. We call her Tash. She works as a maid in the Castle, and she's been staying with us while she's been in the city-"

"Yes, well? Get to the point." John placed a hand on Sherlock's arm to try and signal him to stop interrupting but Flindor kept talking regardless,

"She came, she _comes_ home every day at noon and three days ago she spoke to me. She called me out from where I was working and led me away from everyone else. The she told me that she had found something, she wouldn't say what it was, but she implored me to return with her to the Castle to investigate... I should have... I mean, I wish that..." His voice was trembling wildly, he risked falling apart.

"Go on," Rose spoke this time, calm and encouraging.

"She went on without me, refused to listen to my reason. I _told_ her; I said that meddling with the Emperor and his kind never ends well, but did she listen? No!" Flindor raised his head and looked them all squarely in the eye, "She never came home."

"That doesn't mean-" Flindor cut off John's attempt at comfort,

"That's not the worst, both my parents and Haeilion, my sister, they don't care! I told them of her disappearance and they brushed it off, they barely seemed to notice when I spoke. This... lazy disease that you spoke of, they must be infected. They loved Tash, she was family... She _is_ family."

The Doctor broke the silence that followed, "We _will _find her. I promise you that, we will get you back your cousin and stop whatever is happening to this city."

"Are you really in any position to promise that? I don't even know who you are."

"I'm the Doctor. I'm with Rose Tyler, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. We _will_ get you back to your cousin."

****sorry that it took me so long to get this up. I do promise through that no matter how slow I upload none of my stories will ever be abandoned. Sorry again :/**


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